U.S. HISPANIC
Cinema Tropical: There are many myths surrounding the US Hispanic market
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 14 de julio de 2023
Carlos Gutierrez Cinema Tropical
At a meeting held in the context of the 2023 Bogotá Audiovisual Market, Carlos Gutiérrez, co-founder and executive director of Cinema Tropical, and Sol Clemente, Manager of Content Development and Production at MarVista, discussed the possibility of Latin American audiovisual creations reaching further the Hispanic population in the US.
In Gutiérrez’s opinion, there are many myths related to what the Hispanic market is in the US. “There are 67 million Hispanics in the US, but 67% were born in the country.” This entails a cultural difference that represents a barrier for Latin American productions that want to reach that audience. “There are opportunities, but it is very difficult to produce something that will satisfy all those millions of consumers,” he said.
Clemente said that to address this market, one must “create universal stories that are capable of entertaining and moving many people beyond their origin.” However, he added: “The dynamics that exist in the culture of the Hispanic population must be investigated to identify their conflicts, their contradictions and from there generate stories that reach that niche.”
During the conversation, framed within the Market Sessions of the BAM, Gutiérrez also highlighted the importance of “finding validation mechanisms from Latin America so that people can dimension the talent and quality of what is produced on the continent.” In his vision, such validation does not happen unless a Latin production is featured in international festivals.
Clemente pointed out that emphasis must be placed on the training processes of the new generations of Latin American creators so that they can generate increasingly better stories that have an impact in other latitudes. “Latin America must make a leap to not only be able to offer technical services to other countries but also creative services,” he concluded.
